Truth
by rhead-a-holyc
Summary: Lockhart's experience in the Chamber of Secrets. One shot. Challenge fic.


**_Disclaimer: _**** I do not own Harry Potter**

**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry Challenge [Charms] - Candy, Cornish pixies, Veritaserum, Professor Lockhart, Drama, Bashful, Alice Blue, It wasn't until she/he looked in his/her eyes that she/he saw the truth**

_**Truth**_

Lockhart woke with a sigh that morning. Some creature had been attacking the students and he knew the staff was looking to him to solve the problem. He _had_ written all those books but it hadn't been him that had saved all those people.

He had never thought that such a marvelous plan would backfire on him like this. He had heard rumours of Defense Against the Dark Arts position being cursed but he had never expected it to be true despite the notoriously fast replacement of teachers for this subject. Maybe the lack of anyone offering to take the post should have warned him.

Surely they would have noticed that they should not be giving him such a job. He knew for sure that they had heard about the incident with the Cornish Pixies in his classroom. He had heard them laughing about it in the staffroom before they noticed that he was there. He had brushed that off with a smile.

He pulled out one of the pieces of candy he kept especially for days he felt like this. They always made him feel better afterwards. He put on his favourite alice blue robes that really made him look spectacular especially with the swish of the back as he turned around. Despite everything, the lack of sleep especially, he had appearances to keep up. It was not easy to win Witch Weekly's Most Charming Smile as many times as he had. He had to look perfect every time he went out, although there was nothing he could do with the bags under his eyes.

He certainly had not expected the Potter boy and the youngest Weasley boy to burst into his office claiming that they knew where the Weasley girl had been taken and how to get to here. He had been reluctant, knowing that it they survived he could get the information out of them and claim the glory later but they had their wands trained on him, giving him no way to get out of such a precarious situation. He agreed reluctantly.

They had already known of the fact that he was a fraud. It was one of those secrets he would not tell even under Veritaserum, but he had obviously not given these students enough credit for their intelligence. Or perhaps they had simply looked at him a bit more critically than they otherwise would because of his way with the ladies. He knew that he was good with the woman because of how bashful they all became when he talked to them. The only exception was the stern Minerva McGonagall, who seemed to see right through him. He knew how both boys looked at that muggleborn Granger girl. Both of them had some feelings for her. He would have loved to see what would happen between them as they both fought for her affections. It was like one of those classic romantic novels being played out.

Those thoughts were not going to help him right now. He should probably stop that train of thought right there.

They led him into some unused female bathroom much to his dislike. Then, to his shock, the Potter boy had hissed something at the basins which caused them to open and reveal a long, very dusty looking tunnel. He groaned silently at the thought of his favourite robes being spoiled by the dust and dirt that must coat the walls of that tunnel. He had been unsuccessful at leaving the two insane boys again and they had pushed him through the tunnel. He could hear them following him, shouting as they slid down the pipe with no worries.

That was where he was now. Merlin only knew how many feet they were below Hogwarts and in the Chamber of Salazar Slytherin. Who knew what horrors and traps could have been laid in this Chamber to stop witches and wizards from entering?

After a moment of quick thinking, he decided that it would be in his best interests to simply lie on the disgusting, _bone_ covered ground and act like he had passed out from the fall.

The other two boys slid in a few seconds afterwards. The Weasley boy came over an checked if he was conscious. He evened out his breathing.

"Heart of a lion, this one," he heard the Weasley boy say sarcastically. He tensed slightly as he heard the Potter boy laugh slightly.

He opened his eyes only a fraction and saw that the Potter boy was facing away from him, his wand spinning rapidly before pointing in the direction the Chamber was leading to.

He moved quickly and soon had the Weasley boy's wand in his hand and pointed it towards the two boys. He laughed slightly manically, itching to get out of this creepy chamber.

"Game's over boys. This has gone on for long enough," he said, slightly relieved.

"Obliviate," he said, but the spell came out the wrong side of the wand. It was not until he looked in the Weasley boy's eyes that he saw the truth, the pity there told him that he had judged wrong. He should have known really from the amount of tape keeping the wand in one piece. He passed out as his memories were forcibly removed from his brain by his own spell. He vaguely heard the shouts as the walls of the chamber seemed to crumble from the force of him hitting one of the walls.


End file.
